In a July 5 article on the website True/Slant, former world junior ice staking champion Jennifer Kirk revealed the degree to which she and others within the skating community were affected by eating disorders and unhealthy weight control measures:

Looking back on it now, I am able to understand that a lack of control over various aspects of my life manifested itself in what I ate.

At the time, the pain in my hip and the struggles I was having on my jumps, coupled with the anxiety of living alone for the first time and the pressure I was putting on myself to never "mess up" both on and off the ice, was too much for me to handle.

I felt that by controlling the number on the scale, I would be in control of all the things in my life that I felt were completely out of my control: the judges, whether or not I would skate well on a particular day, my mom not being around, pleasing my coach, etc.

However by doing this, I was entering into some very deep waters, which would take many years to learn to swim away from.

"Now that I'm on the other side of this disease, I worry when I see skaters who I know are struggling with what I worked so hard to get rid of," Kirk wrote. "It makes me angry that there is no one speaking out against what is so common in figure skating."

Labels: eating disorders, sports, athletes

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Though they're rarely diagnosed with an eating disorder, many female athletes make food decisions that have detrimental effects on their health and performance:

"Most of the female athletes I've worked with don't even realize they are undereating," said one healthcare professional. "They are just going with what social norms dictate women should do to keep their weight in check."

Female athletes who experience fatigue during training or at other times throughout the day, who are struggling with sleeping issues or feelings of burnout may be eating less than they should be. The problem can often be corrected by visiting a dietician that has experience with athletes. Source: Canada.com

Labels: athletes, competition, winning

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A psychologist at the University of Chicago Eating Disorders Program says her research indicates that about one in ten people with eating disorders are males, and they tend to be athletes.

Dr. Angela Doyle says athletes often need to attain a target weight or body image, and this leads them into disordered eating patterns. Sometimes these disorders begin as harmless experiments, such as cutting out trans fats or corn syrup, and gradually turn into full-fledged eating disorders, including anorexia or bulimia.

Dr. Doyle says that symptoms may include working out excessively, depression, refusing to go out to eat or to go anywhere where the person cannot control the food supply, and obsession with "an ideal body image very similar to an Abercrombie and Fitch model."

Labels: men, athletes

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Mariana was diagnosed with an eating disorder four years ago. At its worst, the disease left her at 65 pounds and near death. Now, on a solid road to recovery, she is sharing her experience in the hopes that her story can help others avoid a similar experience.

"'When you have an eating disorder, you don't see what other people are seeing, you see that you're not perfect. My mom helped me to realize I was all skin and bones. She thought I was going to my deathbed. It was my mom and friends who helped me turn it around.'"

An increasing number of athletes are opening up about their experiences with eating disorders. What used to be a taboo subject is finally out in the light, where it can be exposed for the dangerous, life-threatening disease it is. Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Labels: awareness, recovery, athletes

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Competitive runners are, by nature of their activity, thin. Consequently, a runner with an eating disorder is hard to identify. But a sudden drop in weight or sudden increase in miles-run-per-week are possible indicators that something might be wrong. This was the case with Ellie, who mom and dad thought something might be wrong when she lost 15 pounds over one summer.

"Sharp was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa at age 12. At her sickest, Sharp was 5 feet 3 inches and weighed 80 pounds. 'There were times when we went to bed and didn't know if she'd be there when we got up,' said her mother, Cathy Sharp, wiping away tears."

Now a junior in high school, Sharp is healthy, and still runs. In fact, she's captain of her cross country team. Now she uses her experience to mentor younger team members and make sure they don't head down the same dangerous path.

Island View treatment programs for troubled teens offer help for families dealing with a child in crisis. Learn how their adolescent residential treatment program saves teens.

Labels: exercise, athletes, influences

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Carrie Fett, former cross-country runner for Purdue University, spent her first two college years watching her strength decrease and her running-times increase. Though her family doctor had warned her in her senior year of high school that she was malnourished, Carrie ignored the warning and told her worried mom that she was just fine.

"'I was like "I don't know what she's talking about. I'm fine..."' Carrie said. 'I straight up denied it. I don't think it mattered what it was because at that point, I thought I was fine and doing the right thing for running."

Her junior year of college, Purdue hired an assistant cross country coach who taught Carrie to emphasize strength and health instead of sacrificing health for sake of faster running times. Read more at FortWayne.com.

Teens often think they're fine when they're obviously not. Especially when it comes to drug use and abuse. Learn more about teen drug abuse and addiction, including teenage drug and alcohol use statistics at Adolescent-Substance-Abuse.com.

Labels: exercise, athletes, healthy_eating

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Nutritionist Ingrid Skoog has recently been hired by the Oregon State Athletic Department to begin working with the student-athletes. Her overall goal is to help them improve their athletic performance, but she will begin by addressing the issue of eating disorders.

"She hopes to advise incoming athletes and show them how to eat properly in the dorms, and then help those who move into apartments to shop for healthy food that can be made quickly."

Collegiate athletics has become so competitive that being "naturally talented" isn't enough anymore. Everyone is looking for an edge. Skoog hopes to help them find that edge in safe, healthy ways. Read more at GTConnect.com.

Labels: athletes, nutrition, health care

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While eating disorders don't make sense to many, there are at least 5 million men, women, and children in the United States who regularly battle an eating disorder. New studies show that many teen athletes, and not just the girls, may suffer from eating disorders. Experts believe that a drive to excel in athletics, especially dancers, gymnasts, and wrestlers, puts some students at a greater risk of having an eating disorder.

But a new program at Viewmont High School in Salt Lake City, Utah has a program to combat the deadly disorder.

"At the start of the season, high school wrestlers are weighed, their body fat is measured and their hydration level is checked. Those numbers are then entered into a computer, which determines how much weight each student can lose safely. If the student loses more, they are not allowed to compete."

While the new program appears to be working for the male wrestlers, there is no such system in place yet for female-associated sports. Read more online.

Labels: students, teens, athletes

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